Preah Chatomukh

Located near the southwestern corner of the baray of Preah Khan of Kampong Svay, the monumental four-sided Buddha stands some 10m tall. The site is held to date to around the late 12th to early 13th century although no foundation inscription has ever been recovered.

Also recorded as Chaktomuk Temple/Prasat Chatumuk (Khmer: ប្រាសាទចតុមុខ), the site was cleared by Henri Mauger in 1939 revealing the base and ruins of the massive four-sided Buddha statue. At the time, “a number” of small sculptures were found by its base, two of which were recorded as being lodged with the Albert Sarraut Museum (PP National Museum). An inscription (on one of the small sculptures) was recorded and registered under K. 888 (more below).

The site underwent research in 2015 revealing the moat that surrounded the once towering site and a causeway that led to a terrace and the baray (reservoir). The site was later restored in 2018.

The four sides could be said to represent the four brahmaviharas (Khmer: ព្រហ្មវិហារ), or Buddhist virtues and meditative practices being Upekkha – equanimity, Metta – loving kindness, Karuna – compassion, and Mudita – empathetic joy. Tricycle has an easy-to-digest overview in English if you’d like to know more about the Buddha’s teachings on this topic or watch a Khmer/English video from monk Hak Sienghai.

At the base of the monument rests a partially completed sculpture of Buddha on Naga.

Photos from 12/21 visit

Updated Photos from a visit in Dec 2022

Photos 2024

Inscription

• K. 888 – a small sculpture discovered at the base of the site that featured 4 lines of Sanskrit.

Inscription on a cartouche carried by a worshipper, found at Preah Khan (of Kompong Svay), and deposited at Phnom Penh.

It has four lines, the fourth, the longest, of which is almost illegible. It does not bear a date. But the outline of the characters is quite significant: it is an angular type of writing that seems to date back to the hinge between the ancient and middle periods. It does indeed resemble that of the bilingual stele (Pali and Khmer) of Kôk Svay Chek, K. 754, dated 1309 A.D.

The first three lines express the homage to the Buddhist Triple Jewel; the fourth is too damaged to be of any use. The language is a priori Pali, which nevertheless presents some rather curious features, as we will see in detail in the commentary.

In any case, the content and the paleography contribute to placing this short inscription in the early years of the 14th century.

Saveros Pou, Nouvelles inscriptions du Cambodge I, 1989

Rodney Charles LHuillier

Living in Asia for over a decade and now residing in beautiful Siem Reap. Rodney Charles L'Huillier has spent over seven years in Cambodia and is the author of Ancient Cambodia (2024) and Essential Siem Reap (2017, 2019). Contact via [email protected] - more..